Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

Hello everyone!

DS is 2.5 and has always been a good night time sleeper.

Let me point out that we are CIO parents. We started it when DS was around 7 months and have had to use it every once in a while when his sleep gets off.

For the past couple of weeks, DS has started waking up in the middle of the night, around 3:00 am, crying and calling for us. One of us will go into his room and he is fine. He doesn't tell us he is hurt, hungry, thirsty, wet, dirty or sick. He will act like he is stalling to go back to sleep and ask things like "why did you paint the wall", "is that a mirror?", "move the tissue box in front of my night light", and other random things like this. Once we get him all tucked in again and start to leave the room, he starts to whine for us again.

Last night, DH was not home and DS woke up at 4:00. I didn't feel like fighting it and brought him into bed with me. Then DD (3 months) woke up and I had them both up. It took DS over an hour to fall back asleep.

Here is my question. Would you consider doing CIO again? It's strange. I have always been an advocate of it, but for some reason I am afraid to do it when DS is now so aware. I anticipate if we really do it that he is going to make himself throw up... he has done that in the past at 14 months.

I just can't figure out what is going on and I need sleep. Not sure if this is an attention thing because of DD's arrival or what.

Please, any suggestions, experiences, ideas, are all welcome!

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

How about a reward system for staying in bed and being quiet?

Maybe a chart and if he can go 3 nights without calling you guys in he gets a reward?

Or the other thing I've read about it getting a special light that only goes on when it's okay to get out of bed.

You pick it out together and you and Chris put it on a timer. When the light lights up that means Lucas can get up out of bed, but if he wakes up and the light is not on, he has to stay quiet in bed.

You can make it a super dim light that wouldn't wake him up, but comes on at a reasonable time in the mornings.


I think this is mostly his way of acting out with Caitlin being home and getting some of his attention. It will pass.

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

I have the SAME exact situation going on right now and I was going to post to.

DD is 2.5 (and I have a 3 month old DS ).

For the last couple months, DD has been waking up anywhere from 1-5 times at night. We did CIO with her when she was younger, but I don't know how effective it will be now that she is older-she can call for us, she yells for "help", she wants water, she wants us to tuck her in again or rub her back.

Also, I'm a little gun shy because the one time I tried to let her cry it out turns out she was stuck between the wall and her bed (we have a video monitor but it is low resolution and I could see her hand and head so I thought she was okay).

We get up more for her than we do for the baby

I will say that when she used to get up from bed we told her that if she did that again we would have to put her in the pack n play. We did that 1 night and she learned her lesson and never got out of bed again. I'm thinking I might try that again-I.e. "if you don't settle down and go to sleep, you'll have to sleep in the pack n play".

I don't know, that's all I've got for you other than some of these

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

Posted by CrankyPants

I have the SAME exact situation going on right now and I was going to post to.

DD is 2.5 (and I have a 3 month old DS ).

We get up more for her than we do for the baby

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

Re: Sleep help/advise/suggestions???? (sorry, long)

Posted by jerseypanda

Posted by CrankyPants

I have the SAME exact situation going on right now and I was going to post to.

DD is 2.5 (and I have a 3 month old DS ).

We get up more for her than we do for the baby

Well, if nothing else, it's nice to know we are not alone!!!